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Skins premieres tonight on Movie Central and The Movie Network

Skins, the North American adaptation of the edgy U.K. series, begins tonight at 9 p.m. PT on Movie Central and 10 p.m. ET on The Movie Network.

The series is directed by Canadian directors Scott Smith (Call Me Fitz) and Samir Rehem (Testees), and features an ensemble cast that includes six Canadians in leading roles.

Skins is produced as a Canada/UK co-venture from Entertainment One and Company Pictures, in association with Movie Central and The Movie Network and with MTV in the U.S.

The series was shot in Toronto from August to December 2010, and is helmed by executive producer and showrunner Brian Elsley, creator of the original U.K. series.

In addition to Elsley, Skins is executive produced by Laszlo Barna, Margaret O’Brien and Michael Rosenberg of Entertainment One and Charles Pattinson, George Faber, Matt Jones and Chris Clough of Company Pictures.

Set in an urban North American city, the 10-part, one-hour drama follows the lives of nine classmates and their complex relationships, the politics of friendship and the difficulties of everyday high school life.

The group includes: Tony (James Newman), a good-looking, witty manipulator who wants everything and usually gets it; Eura (Eleanor Zichy), Tony’s younger sister who is mysterious, elusive, beautiful and completely in control, (while acting totally out of control); Tony’s girlfriend, Michelle (Rachel Thevenard), gorgeous and clever, just not clever enough to realize Tony may not be the right one for her; Tony’s best friend Stanley (Daniel Flaherty), who may just be the right one for Michelle; Cadie (Britne Oldford), possibly dysfunctional and stuck in a pretend relationship with Stanley; Chris (Jesse Carere) no drug is too obscure for him to try, no sexual mountain too high for him to climb; and Tea (Sofia Black-D’Elia), who complicates everyone’s life, and happens to like girls.

Rounding out the group are Abbud (Ron Mustafaa), whose parents would prefer he be at a mosque rather than a rave, and Daisy (Camille Cresencia-Mills), the responsible one in the group just itching to break some rules of her own.

Skins is a high-definition production that will be simulcast on The Movie Network and Movie Central’s High Definition channels. All new episodes will be available on demand and on The Movie Network OnLine following the network premieres.